When was Teesside in its pomp?

Redlips

Redlips

Well-known member
I look at a Middlesbrough Town Centre now and it so sad how it has declined.

The town use to be great for shops in the 90s.

We had the Kirk, Tall Trees, the Empire.

The town was packed on a Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday night.

Was the early 90s the peak?
 
When I was a lad we had about 8 cinemas and 2 theatres.
Middlesbrough also had 2 top class secondary schools.
Yorkshire Cricket team visited at least once a year and we had 2 really good parks which were actually safe to visit in the evening.
Middlesbrough FC was generally regarded as a top class team, the captain of England was Boro’s captain and a little fair haired chap, unsurpassed in skill to this day, ruled the roost at Ayresome Park.
Not a bad time to come from Middlesbrough.
 
Stockton and Middlesbrough are very different places now.

Stockton was a shopping destination with a great market and a great night out with numerous great pubs and clubs.

I would say it all started to unravel in the early 90s - maybe before in truth.

I was driving to Thornaby station the other day and noticed the Castlegate is now demolished. They probably should have built Teesside park on the other side of the river with a connceting pedestrian bridge. That may have saved the town centre
 
Teesside once had the most professors in employment ( not education ) in the country... 60's & 70's I believe..
Also IIRC a BBC news report that has always stuck with me: was the area with the first £1bn company profit ( ICI ) of any British company.. 80's ish..

I agree the town centre is a depressing place now compared to 80's & 90's though it's social change & internet that has caused this.. shops are not the draw they once were..
 
I always associated Teesside with Stockton rather than Middlesbrough and as a teenager would never sing Teessider’s at the match.

I feel Wiseman nailed the answer on this. Stockton was always a great place to visit and have a night out. That and Redcar.
 
This is a place called Arjuzanx, France and it use to be power station. It’s now been turned into a nature reserve with a man made lake and beach. It is amazing what people can do when they put their minds to it.

P.S. It is presently 32 degrees and no good for us ginger skins. 🤣🤣🤣


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Late 19th early 20th century in terms of productivity and output.
Early 80s maybe in terms of employment.
Mid 90s in relation to nightlife.
 
I'm not as old as some people on here but I don't remember ever thinking Teesside had a pomp. Town centre's used to be busier, as they did around the country, but it has never been a destination anyone that wasn't from the area would visit for any real reason. It's never been a prosperous area full of well paying jobs, or a destination for events, it's not well connected and it doesn't really have anything to see.

I'm from the area but I no longer live there and if it wasn't for family or football I would have no reason to visit. I know people that went to uni there and they've never been back after they graduated. I couldn't believe how much more there could be in a town/city/area until I moved away.

These are some of the things that I have heard about Teesside over the years, not all desirable:
> Stockton has the widest high street in the UK.
> Stockton has the most night clubs
> Yarm has the most pubs per mile of anywhere in the UK
> Middlesbrough is the worst place to live in the UK
> Teesside has the cheapest heroine in the country

I hate to put the place down because it is home but it sounds like it has got worse since I left which is just sad.
 
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